Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1887-09-23
PoeoNIP AND CHINOOK. :
Remarkable Climatic Phenomena of fb'
Great Basin Region.

Remarkable Climatic Phenomena Of the
Great Basin Region.
The "pogonip'' is Nevada phe.
nomenon, while the chinook belongs
to Montana The whites first made the
acquaintance of the pogonip about
twenty years ago. when they went te |
White Pine County, at the time OF the
striking of the almost pure silver on
Treasure Hill. Treasure City, ON the
peak of Treasure Hill, thousands of feet
above the level of the sea, is the true
home and stamping ground of the pogo
nip. The pogonip. SO feared, is sort
of frozen fog that fills the air at times
in winter. It often appears on the
elearest and brightest of days, coming
suddenly from no one knows whence.
In an instant the air is filled with float
ing needles of ice. To breathe the pogo
nip is death to the lungs. When it
comes people rush to cover. The In
dians dread it as much as the whites.
They discovered the pogonip long
ago. Pogonip is an Indian word,
the very sound of which describes
the phenomenon to which it is
applied. It is the same with the
Piute word for cold. The word is
''oo-zoot-zoo," and is full Of shake and
shiver. The pogonip appears to be
caused by the sudden freezing in the air
of the moisture which collects about the
sumlnit Of high peaks.
r. - Sea <<,st ttr-n fHs-
low and look up at the top Of mount
ain on which pogonip has appeared is a
sight beautiful and peculiar. In all
directions the cloudless heavens are
deep, calm blue--if color can be said
10 be calm. The top OF the peak is
hidden in the pogonip. which is as bril-
liant under the light Of the sun as
those parhelia seen about the sun in
Artic regions, but it is moving. shape
less mass Of luminosity. From this
glittering cloud bright streamers are
often seen stretching away from the
mountain peak, that look like the waver-
ing and flashing wires that are shot up
ward by the aurora borealis. These
ribbons Of fiery light stretch away in a
direction opposite to that from which
the wind is blowing. They are evi-
IDENTIFY shreds and strips Of the pogo.
nip that are torn off and waited away
by the gale.
On the top Of the mountain The
poponip is 80 dense that one can SEE
through it to the distance Of only few
yards. The air is filled with minute
and slender crystals of ice. These strik
ing together produce slight. con
tinuous rustling sound. Breathed int
the lungs they prick like needles. Th
phenomenon Of the pogonip is to b
seen in winter in very many places il
Nevada about the tops of high mount
aims, also about most of the tall peak
all through the Great Basin region.
While the coming of the '.pogonip'
is dreaded, the advent of the chinook
is heartily welcomed. The ehinool
means warm weather. It is a phenom
enally warm south OF Southwestern
wind that strikes down into Montana
Idaho, and other northern and snow,
regions lying east of the Sierra Nevad
mountains, and even into the region
far to the eastward of the Rocky mount
aims. @Es sea4 sa
1t is in mild way a sort of sirocco
but is without the noxious qualities c
the sirocco that blows from the Libya
deserts into Italy and Sicily. It appear
to be mixture of the dry, heated air c
the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico
rising and mingling with the warm bu
noister breezes moving eastward off tn
Pacific Ocean. Somewhere in the uppe
regions--high above the tops of all th
raountains-these currents. Of air NEE
minglc. and finally descend upon tt
snowclad regions of the north, ju
where they are wanted and prayed TO
Before the chinook the snowdrifts me
as before q blast Of hot air blow
through tube and directed again
them. As il by magic, the snowy CO
ering of the hills and valleys disappear
The atmosphere is everywhere warm ar
balny. So much moisture has bet
taken up by the air during the proce
Of melting away the snow that Il
breezes are soft and sweet as those
spring.
When old winter howls and Prov
through the territories of our northe
neighbors, and the whole face of t
country lies buried in snow, no wond
that we see in their newspapers
many appeals to the "clerk Of t
weather. to send then the ''bless'
chinook "--DaUe de Q,ane, in Virgin
EnterDyiSe